The more things change...I joined a local
Star Trek fan club back in 1989. I'd been a fan since I first started watching TOS in syndication in the early 70s, so I had some small cred even amongst older fans, but I joined the club mainly because I was enthusiastic about the then-new series, TNG. And I and a few others spent the next several years defending TNG to the older members as "real"
Star Trek. Cue an endless series of conversations starting, "Well, but you know, Bren, you have to admit that TOS is just
better, and surely no one could ever love that stuffy Picard as much as the
real captain...."
I don't think we ever
did win them over; I think we finally all just agreed to disagree. Then came DS9, and with it the insistence that a show that took place on a space station (and hadn't been created by Gene Roddenberry) couldn't be "real"
Star Trek.
And here we are all over again. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I will not
touch that bet. If I live long enough, and Trek makes it to one more iteration (or set of them), I am mortally certain I'll hear those words.
You and me both, bro. Hell, if they show up at my door they'll get smacked in the head with a crate or two of fanzines -- that's how long I've been in fandom!
I'm sorry, but your experience is irrelevant. Sure I pine on and on about real fans who were watching the classic (and much better shows btw) live, but you're comparing apples to oranges.
When tng was coming out barely, legacy showrunners etc and creators were pretty much at the helm of tng. And even further on the spirit and heart of trek was maintained up untjl enterprise.
At that point, no one had yet seen a spinoff based on a different Era and different captains. It was only normal for the majority to be suspicious of it and while watching it, constantly reminisce of the old captain. But when tng got good. Especially when best of both worlds came out. Things began to change.
When ds9 was coming out, they were already following a similar formula although changed up to differentiate itself from tng. But Roddenberry may have been alive while ds9 was conceived, and alot of the ideas and format of tng was Roddenberry. DC fontana was still writing for tng also as well as tos.
IT was a time where this bebavior made sense. It was the first time, after 20 continuous years of knowing one captain throughout like 20 years or more of his life.
Of course there were always the types of fans who were easily hyped and excited for a new show, because a wealthy corporation who provided your entertainment and perhaps your life values and your guide on how to behave in life, said so. You probably just wanted to be excited and like it to fit in, just as you probably would have for any hyped show at the time even if it wasn't trek. I'm sorry but a lot of people are this way. They get swept away by the hype and excitement and want to belong. You are this way which is why when the st 2009 movies and onwards came out and the new shows. You just decided not to criticize it or compare it to the old shows at all and just decide to like or love it so that if you do discuss new trek or appear at conventions with random strangers, you don't show yourself as some "grumpy" unsatisfied person. You are the type to want to fit in and appear happy and "current with the times", so that's why you accept new trek so much and try to compare today's complaints with the complaints during tng.
Tng came out at a time when a spinoff was unexpected, and ds9 came out when a spinoff of a space station was unexpected. But guess what happened? People converted because ALL those spin off shows had AMAZING story telling and episodes and deep characters, episodes like the emissary, BoBW, All good things, q who, Past tense, caretaker, Duet, Darmok, Timeless, etc. They won the fans over and proved them wrong by virtue of being amazing. By year 5 of tng, the complaints and "hate" was gone for the most part, and each subsequent show got less hate and was quickly adopted and beloved.
But it's been 6 years since discovery and a earth shattering FOURTEEN YEARS since star trek 2009, the moment the alternate timeline was created by the clueless mistake of careless writers who don't care much for trek by destroying Romulus. That action created the disc, SNW, and Picard universe. The real future timeline as glimpsed in tng, or voy, NEVER had Romulus destroyed. This event changed everything that's why I consider the whole Romulus destroyed non Canon and any show that accepts Romulus being gone as "Canon", is not canon imo at all and part of some alternate timeline that the time ship relativity will correct once COMPOTENT writers and showrunners are placed at paramount. As I was saying, it's been FOURTEEN YEARS, and you still have half or more than half of the fans STILL saying it's bad, in fact it's getting even worse. All you have to do is look around, one example is the yt channel major grin, to find out how they went from minor negativity and cynicism. To outright just not even being surprised or disappointed at any of the new shows or episodes because by this point they expect nothing but disaster and failure, even fourteen years later. Many people are even seeing through the Picard season 3 hype and pointing out all the ridiculous nonsense in it which I would also had it not been for the spoiler rules.
There is a massive difference to your claim of tos fanboys in the 80s who quickly died out, to the Neverending disappointment thays lasted 14 years with not an IOTA of indication that it will be stopping, and with every indication that it's going to continue getting even worse. If you want to like new trek just becsuse paramount releases a show titled "star trek" by name so you can appear happy and fit in well at the new conventions and not look "grumpy" or be thought of as a "loser who just can't accept the times and that's why no one likes him and he can't make friends, and we all know everyone should have friends, any friends, otherwise they're not cool and will be made fun of. Which is bad", then fine, go ahead, but don't compare your hype and excitement and desire to fit in always, and your experiences with fanboys of 1987 who died out by the time BoBW came out in like 1990, with the current fans who STILL despise new trek not less, but MORE AND MORE BY THE DAY
